Labor refusing to support plan to raise Warragamba Dam wall

The Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres is accusing Labor of putting lives and property at risk by refusing to back their plans to raise Warragamba Dam’s wall.

The state government will introduce a bill into parliament which would allow the temporary flooding of the Blue Mountains National Park to raise the dam’s wall by 14 metres.

Mr Ayres says they want to raise the height of the dam to help save properties and lives if a “catastrophic flood” ever occurred.

But Labor and conservationists aren’t on board with the plan to flood 65km of the heritage listed national park.

The Minister for Western Sydney tells Ray Hadley the temporary flooding, which would only see 0.06 per cent of the park temporarily inundated, is about saving lives.

“We wouldn’t use that airspace to store more water. We would use it only in the event of a catastrophic flood which would be about protecting the lives of 130,000 people who live forward of Warragamba Dam wall.”

Mr Ayres has denied Labor’s claim that the plan is led by development interests.

“Raising the dam wall will not allow a single extra dwelling to be built on the floodplain that isn’t already allowed.”